Cliché Guide to Social Media Marketing

A large part of our core business is the execution of strong digital marketing strategies that best meet our clients' business objective. To maximize this strategy we need a few key components; a properly designed website and landing pages, a strong social media presence, and engaging and shareable brand messaging. For many of our clients, the biggest struggle is managing their social media profiles. This can be the life and the death of an untapped market. Leverage social media marketing effectively and you will find that it can be a valuable sales funnel for your business.

Social Media Marketing is No 'One-Trick Pony'

Effective social media marketing is not just about posting content on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram. Your social media strategy should:

1. Attract Visitors
2. Convert Visitors
3. Close Leads
4. Create Customer Buzz
5. Build Brand Loyalty

The challenge is that there is no standard guide. Each brand is different and so is the way your customers build a relationship with social channels.

Take the Bull by the Horns

You are a business owner and you know what that tells me? You grabbed the reins, you took the leap, and you set sail on a journey many people only dream about.

The Times They Are A Changin'

The world has evolved past word-of-mouth, the yellow-pages, and good old-fashioned door-to-door selling. To be competitive in today's marketing, you must be ready and willing to evolve with technology and marketing trends, specifically social media marketing. Social media networks like Facebook and Instagram hold a lot of weight when it comes to how people interact with brands. That probably explains why there are over 50 million businesses leveraging the power of Facebook Business pages to drive their brand message.

Yet, there will always be a business owner who doesn't believe social media is a good fit for their company. To that I say...

If the Shoe Fits, Wear It. If It Doesn't, Make It Fit.

Social media profiles are just another place for you to post engaging social media messages. Your profiles are a resource for information about your business, a direct link back to your website, and another spot to fill on Google search results pages. Not to mention, a Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and a LinkedIn business page will give you access to millions of users easily segregated by a multitude of demographics and interests for advertising purposes. That's probably why your competitor's products and services are...

Selling Like Hotcakes

In 2015, Facebook influenced 52% of consumers' online and offline purchases. This figure was up 34% from 2014. Despite the negative media on recent Facebook news, the social media powerhouse can provide many benefits for advertising. From brand awareness and local reach to website traffic and lead generation, you can tap into a market-segment faster and more efficiently than ever before.

Dollars to Donuts

When was the last time your billboard advertising company sent you a report detailing the number of impressions and leads your campaign produced? My guess is never. Social media marketing is about metrics. Each click, like, share, and comment is logged and reported making the next strategy that much more defined. Though we haven't moved away from traditional outdoor and print marketing, digital marketing has brought the one thing you've always wanted, certainty. Dollars to donuts, the next time you spend money online, you'll be able to see the fruits of your labor.

Now, It's Time to Let Your Hair Down

The hardest part of social media marketing is starting. Just like a first date, the first post might be a little awkward. For companies with established branding, you might already know your brand voice and for others, this is something you will (need) to develop. How you speak to your customers is key to building a relationship online and in-store.

Be authentic, be original, and be yourself. Trying to force a persona will be perceived as disingenuous.

Remember, Rome Wasn't Built in a Day

Maybe the first few posts receive no interactions or your page is slow to gain likes. Lucky you, all Facebook pages have to be owned by a personal Facebook user (it better be you, otherwise you have problems). From your Facebook Business page, you can invite your personal Facebook friends to like your page, share links on your website, add social icons to your marketing material and email signature, and link various social media channels together to boost your profiles exposure. You can even cut the line and pay for a campaign that drives page likes to your desired demographic.

Whatever course you choose, remember, you are in this for the long haul.

Sometimes It's Not You, It's Me

If your posts are still falling short on likes and share, it is time to re-evaluate your social media strategy. Step back and look at what you've been doing and look at the stats. Find out what posts have done well and see if there is a common denominator, then amplify it. But, remember, not all types of posts are created equal. As social media has evolved, so has the type of content users engage with on a daily basis.

The Proof Is in the Pudding

• 100 million hours of video content are watched on Facebook daily
• 98% of LinkedIn posts with images receive more comments and posts with links have a 200% higher engagement rate
• Tweets with images receive 18% more clicks than tweets without images
• 4X as many consumers would prefer to watch a video about a product than to read about it.


As you can see, using branded images and video content, you can boost your exposure, activity, and engagement.

So, Just Do It

Visual content isn't as easy as blogging. It requires creativity and at times, visual content marketing requires a human element. If you're shy on camera, find someone in your company who isn't and get them involved. If you don't have a team, you might need to get comfortable or hire a video production company to help you build content with hired actors. But remember, you are the brand. After all, the business is your brain-child and sometimes you just have to take one for the team, or in this case, the future of your business. You might find that your followers and fans like the genuine nature of your visual content. Just take a look at... well this.

Social media marketing guru Gary Vaynerchuck says you should "put out those 6-7 meaningful pieces of content a day, just pick up your smartphone, open Facebook Live, and just start talking about the things most important to you." It doesn't have to be professional grade videography, but the key is value. Deliver content that provides some sort of value to the end-user and you will become the go-to for resources in your field.

Social Media Marketing Can Be the Ace up Your Sleeve

A competitive analysis can give you insight as to what your competition is doing and how you can improve your marketing efforts. You might find that none of your competitors are leveraging the power of social media or certain channels (though unlikely) and this could give you the leg up. Using Facebook Insights, you can watch your competitor's pages and see how your activity stacks up against that of your adversary.



On the other hand, you might find that your competitor is crushing their social media marketing game and you chase that feeling. Avoid this like the plague. It's not who did it best, it's about who did it first. Find your niche and be original.

Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

Having a diverse marketing mix is a good, but knowing where to put your money is a key part of determining what channels or mediums you will invest in. You may have a larger traditional advertising budget or invest heavily in Google Adwords but, your social media marketing is lacking. Outsourced marketing companies can help you manage specific channel and help reinforce the weak spots in your marketing campaigns.

For example, at Kicks Digital Marketing, our social media strategies are designed to cover your social media channels, promote your business with the visual content, and ensure that no social media channel goes without updates. Having the analytics from these strategies allows us to help our clients determine what posts their audience prefer and craft stronger strategies to engage new and existing users. But, remember, it is not just about posting. It's about reputation management.

When You're in Hot Water Don't Burn Your Bridges

Not everyone is going to like what you have to say or how you say it. Online marketing is a double-edged sword. One one hand, you can reach your ideal audience and on the other hand, you are exposed to the internet trolls whose very existence is predicated on stirring the pot to get a reaction out of you. If you find that you are getting negative comments or reviews, keep your cool and remember this. You are not responding to them, you are responding to future clients.



Consumers read an average of 7 reviews before trusting a business. If someone is reading your reviews or seeing your posts where you fly off the handle and lash out at the user, they will be less likely to recommend or use your business. In this situation, cooler heads prevail.

Another Day, Another Dollar... Lost

By now, you've realized the importance of social media marketing. For every day you neglect your social media channels, you are losing potential revenue. If you are the kind of business owner that is struggling to keep all their plates in the air, rather than let one drop, pass it over to a digital marketing company to help you start or build on the success you've already developed.

If you would like to learn more about how you can start winning with social media advertising, click here.

Total cliche count: 32